These photos are from the Argyle Street Lunar New Year Celebration on February 16th, 2013. This event has been on my "to do" list for the last several years, but I kept forgetting about it in the middle of February. Two years ago, it took place the week after the Chicago Snowpocalypse of 2011 and I was still busy editing snowpocalypse photos!

If you're in the area, this is a fun local celebration that's pretty manageable in terms of crowds-- I can't imagine there were more than a few thousand people in attendance, and in fact, the firecrackers probably outnumbered the spectators. It also features traditional dancing lions and dragons as seen above, and then a small parade. And afterwards, there's no shortage of great Asian restaurants to have lunch at.